It was one thing to joke on the expense of another; an entire matter to find humor in a person's predicament. After Cheta, discovered there was in fact no one coming for her, she casted a look bridging between anger and sadness at her friend. With a shake of her head, she sprinted off and away from the vicinity. The only thing she had attained for seeking for her consolation was more headache.

Well, by now her brother must be out of the house or in his room attending to other of his unimportant, important matter. The latter being for him and in average humans eyes, the first. Never one to engage in something beneficial, except for his own good and not of others. She didn't quite know if to detest him or be terrified by him.

As she drew closer to their home, she became agitated. Never once had she experience true peace. If she wasn't carrying out all the duties around the house, she most likely must be in their farm throwing in her weight. In all, she wasn't allowed to complain. Besides what is the importance of women if it doesn't pertain to attending to every detail. Caring for men and making certain their needs are attended to.

Cheta, snorted in disgust. Totally engulfed in her mind to pay attention to reality. Two pairs of eyes filled with what could outmatch hatred, flashed in her mind. It startled her. And indeed when she returned to her current state, there happened to be a replica of those caging her in place.

Her brother seated under a shade, glared at her. If looks could incerate  someone, she probably would be dead at the spot. "Where…" He gritted his once white turned brown teeth, "...are you coming from?"

A huge lump formed in her throat when she made to answer. Too afraid to stand her ground, she cowered a step back. Casted rapt gaze to her left and right probably hoping for a miracle to save her from his venom.

"Are you deaf?" He stood up. Adavaced towards her.

To her shock, Cheta discovered she couldn't move as she attempted to. Like her legs had been decapitated from the rest of her body.

"You think I'm joking right?" He bellowed.

Cheta, swallowed hard. Her body began shaking in tempo with her heart beat. "I… I… she… I…"

Her brother, obviously taking in her beyond frightened state. Just the effect he loved experiencing with low life creatures termed women, he suppressed a grin fighting its way to his over large lips. "If you don't start talking, oh, I will so knock you around you'd find it hard to use your scrawny hand for a week."

Cheta, broke into a sob that vibrated her already aching body. An image of receiving another round of kicking to her pain stricken flesh and bone having caused the feat. "P-please… It… it… wasn't my fault."

"What did you say?" He wanted her to say it again. To find another reason to cause physical harm to her in his own dillutional world. Anything to make him beat her up. "Repeat what you just said. Right now!"

"You… I… it wasn't my fault. You hit me…"

He frowned. "Are you by chance insinuating that I have to right to discipline you when you are wrong?" His tone registered surprise.

"That is not the right way…" Was all she said before a blow landed on the center of her head. Cheta, saw twinkling stars flashing abover her vision.

"How…" Another slap. "Dare…" A blow to her ear. "You…" A hit to the side. "Tell me what is right and wrong you little idiot. Forgotten so soon that I am way older than you and as a woman, you should respect me." He landed a blow to her stomach that made her crumple to the ground. Too terrified to cry, engulfed in the moment of burning pain, she rolled on the sandy earth. Tried to shield his blows as much as she could, which considering his leverage, proved to be fruitless.

"Haven't you hit her enough. Let go of her!" To Cheta's relief, heard her mother scream running forward.

"Mother, help me." She finally uttered with the notion of gingering her rescurer.

That didn't halt his continual punching. Infact it served to ignite it.

Cheta, chanced a glance up to beget her mother, her hope detoriated instantly when she saw her father behind her mum. A tug on the back of her ankara blouse was all it took to send her mother flying towards the opposite direction. "Get back, woman." He barked, postured a challenging stance. "Now."

"He is beating your daughter the way one shouldn't any woman, and instead of stopping him, you are supporting him." Her dear mother, cried looking helplessly at, Cheta.

"Look who is talking. Say one more word and I will face you!" The man shouted glaring at his wife.

Years of being married to him told her the reasonable thing to do at that moment. Which was to save herself. Dusting specs of dust on her once rea flowered wrapper—turned brown, she hurried away to her room. Leaving her daughter to endure her fate.

"Told you countless times to make sure you behave like a responsible female should. You never listen." Her father grumbled as he turned his back to the scene.

Cheta, said nothing.

After punching her to his satisfaction, three minutes later, he walzed off gazing specifically at his knuckles. For a spilt-seconds a smile appeared on his face. Probably admiring his handy work and congratulating himself for a job well carried out.

Plastering a horrific grimace on her face, Cheta crawled to her feet. Like a drunken sailor, staggered all the way to her crib

If only she had been a man…

She broke into a loud wail. Winced as though being whipped. She knew better than to disturb the peace of the atmosphere. No guarantee to what was considered proper and improper.

Why not end her pitiful existence. Curse the day she was born. Damn it to hell and eternity. There was no difference between her—the entire females in general to animal. The only thing left was to be leached and steered around like puppies.

Curling into a ball, Cheta wept silently. At that moment, she felt pressure in the bottom of her stomach, it took her approximately six minutes to detach herself from the bed and went through the backyard to urinate. Making sure her brother wasn't on sight. She had rather grown fund of looking out for the men in her family, not for a good reason, but a bad one. Not when they find fault in whatever she does.

Pulling her oversized chiffon skirt down, she started to leave when she heard a whistle. She whirled around so fast it was a miracle her neck hadn't sustained a break. "Who is that?" She called.

"Are you by chance, Cheta?" A man requested emerging from their mini farm.

Cheta, alarmed narrowed her eyes at the stranger probably debating on whether to scream or simply to run as that would be easier and efficient.
"Any problem?" She said instead. After weighing the possibility of getting another set of punching by her dear brother. Considering the alien way to which he judges matter.

"Oh, not at all. I heard your sister calling on you in the morning when I was strolling. Aha, and I'm your neighbor." He replied. Gestured to a hut few meters away.

"Isn't that ma Achalugo's house?" Cheta, stated with a squinted brow.

"You are right. I am her grandson. At the age of ninety-two, she needed someone to be taking care of her. So my father shipped me off to her as a living sacrifice." He chuckled. Stared at Cheta with smile still on his face.

Cheta, stared.

He cocked his head. "Well?"

"Well what?" She frowned. Now that she focused on his face, she discovered the 'expectation' broad in his eyes.

He cleared his throat. The beam disappeared.

Weird.

"I… that was supposed to be a joke." He admitted, managing to sound offended.

"What?"

He cleared his throat a second time.
"The part of my father sacrificing me to his mother." He chuckled again.

Cheta, coughed.

"You lack sense of humor."

"Try harder if you want me to laugh." Cheta, turned to leave.

"If only my mother had succeeded at persuading him… He never listened to her of course. She is only but a woman anyways."

That stopped, Cheta. Her hand baller into little fist. She turned sharply. "You reason as lame as your dry jokes." She snapped.

"Why, certainly… wait, you just insulted me." It seemed to register to him only at that point.

"If women are so unimportant, why then bother to offer a helping hand to your grandmother?"

"I was literally forced to." He shrugged. "He felt guilty for having abandoned her for long. Not like he could put an end by strangling her."

Cheta, gasped. "Be gone, you… you…" She shook her first at his entire direction, being lost for words, turned and stormed off muttering something about how evil men are.

A dark muscled arm, tugged her so hard she heard an unmistakable snap on a shifted bone between her radiocarpal joint. She screamed in pain as she was heaved off balance to the right, off track to her initial direction. Without looking to verify who her assailant was, for she already knew. But the reason behind the attack baffled her. Her body, her ever nightmare shoved his foul breath to her face. Her wrist joint still in his grip.

"Who was that? Oh you think I won't catch you red handed right?"

Cheta, not knowing what he was about, shook her head vigorously. Her lips tight sealed.

"If you dare lie to me, I will give you the beating of your life that you will forever remember."

"As usual…" Cheta, to her horror, blurted out of another part of her she didn't know existed.

"Did you just… How dare you!" He landed a sharp stinging slap that whipped her head to the side. "Am I your mate you think you can talk to me as you deem fit." He added another that returned her swollen face back to its original position.

"What have I done to you again!" Cheta, yelled of a sudden.

That infuriated him the more.

"I saw you talking to a man! A woman like you shouldn't be conversing with opposite gender at your age. How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen? Or maybe nineteen? Any man interested in you should seek for you hand asap and not lurk behind the bush to have a forbidding endeavors with you without your family approval. Yes, you are not allowed to keep a man company when you are yet to be done a favour by getting a man to make a honest woman out of you." He panted, obviously exhausted by his long speech of how a decent girl should and shouldn't behave. "Now," he continued. "You deserve punishment for going against the natural ethic of our custom." Even before he had finished, a blow already reached her side, Cheta hurled in agony like someone hauled into fire. Indeed it was fire for her which came in another form.

Only when she was motionless on the ground did he let her go. Not without kicking her once more in the guts to drive home once again how a woman is expected to act.

Ten minutes later of trying to regulate her deserted breath and finally succeeded did she get to her feet and went for her corner. Cried till she fell asleep. The following morning, she woke up with a fever, severe headache and body pains.

Shivering vigorously, she curled into a ball trying to sheild as much of the unnatural cold as possible. Her teeth clashed. Hands moving up and down in a rapid rythm.

Her door burst open, standing before her was her nemesis. He glared down at her. "What do you think you are doing still sleeping by this time? 7: am. All the rooms and compound, dirty. Plates, unwashed. Food yet to be prepared. Your mother went to the farm early so she couldn't make breakfast before leaving. And here you are lazing about. Get up right this minute before I beat you again." He warned, superiority arched in his every word.

Cheta, groaned as she tried to do as he asked—commanded. Too weak for that, she ended up flat on the floor.

"Pretend all you will, if you don't pull your weight immediately, I'm going to hit you. I swear it."

Knowing better than to reply, Cheta tried once more. With a stifled yelp, got to her feet. Before she knew, he practically dragged her out, shoved her towards the heap of ceramic dishes from the night before waiting to be attended to.

As much as she wanted to bail out of the inconvenient environment, she didn't dare put up a fight only if she had a death sentence. All through the duration of the cleaning, she didn't fail to overhear the idle merry chat between her father and brother. As though choosing that specific moment, her elder sibling, cackled a laugh that could compete as the week's most fake laughter. Tuning out on their increasingly annoying exchange, Cheta with head bowed so deep it almost brushed the floor, rinsed the last rubber plate.

Picked a broom made from palm branch, and began sweeping dead leaves to an existing heap at the back of the house. Halfway through, a ladylike giggle interrupted her progress. She turned to meet her friend... whom was standing with her hands resting on her tiny waist leading all the way down to her curved hips.

Cheta, sighed. "What are you doing here?" There was no note of familiarity in her tone. The last time she checked, Ebere humiliated her.

Ebere cocked her head to the side in confusion, probably trying to decide if she should feel offended or not. Choosing the latter, she beamed more brightly. "Is that the way to welcome your quest, girl." She rolled her eyes for more effect which went completely unnoticed to Cheta. However grasped by her ever intrusive brother who had been gawking at Ebere the entire time.

"You are no visitor of mine. You think I don't know why you are here?"

Ebere smirked. Probably knowing Cheta indeed knew of her secret agenda. However preferring to deny, she made a waving gesture. "And when did you get the gift of clairvoyance?"

"Why are you here?" Cheta demanded again. Seeming to realize only then that she had halted in her current work, she resumed with double force. Stole a glance at the end of the massive compound where only her brother remained seated on a wooden stool. Winced when she found his dark-filled eyes resting on her girlfriend.

"Is that your brother?" Ebere asked as if just discovering of his existence.

"What sort of question is that? Pretending you notice him today wouldn't help your ministry."

"My ministry as how?"

"Yes you know what I mean. Now tell me why you are here and leave. As you can see I am very busy."

"Who taught you how to be rude? The last time I was here__"

"And eyed my brother all through."

"What? Oh…" Her smile returned, this time with a touch of shyness.

"I was thinking you were going to deny it." Cheta, rounded up the first part, and went for the second.

"I… I…" Ebere threw a yearning look towards him.

Cheta, cringed.

Ebere licked her lips whether deliberately or involuntarily, it made Cheta's stomach revolt. "You know what…" Ebere stopped talking as soon as she focused on, Cheta and saw the irritated expression on her face.

"You've got no shame at all." Cheta, voiced. "No dignity. You most definitely hate yourself to be seeking for his attention. You of all people know about his distaste of women in general. His disgusting mentality of how we all are way beneath his male prowness. Still, you stupidly want to have a relationship with me." Unable to control it, Cheta spat on the sand. "You signed up for your obituary."

Ebere's face already turned red in anger, Ceta discerned. "I don't blame you. But myself for coming here when I should be__"

"Doing something tangible with my time at home." Cheta, completed. "Not yet late for you. Leave already." Her countenance turned to that of disapprobation.

"You are chasing me away…"

"I didn't see myself running after you with a raised cutlass. Go away. Now."

Ebere's nose enlarged in barely surpressed furry, then snapped back. "You will so pay for this." And she raised her voice. "Cheta, you are telling me to leave just because I want to see your brother!"

Cheta, took a shocked step back.
"W-what are you doing…?"

"Unbelievable. So cruel of you. Act like a responsible woman for once. I guess you lack home training to indirectly degrade your own elder brother in front of an outsider." Her upper lip curled up into a dog-like snarl. "Be grateful I am not your brother, I would have taught you a lesson of your life." She hissed and left behind a stunned, Cheta. Struggling hard not to break into giggle all way from the vicinity.

Only when she tore her gaze from the retreating back of Ebere did she witness the gradual advance of…

"What did you say to her, you lousy bug."

Cheta, let go of her broom. "Nothing." She barely heard her own reply for how suddenly cracked her voice grew to be.

"You are lying. I know how careless you can be. You said something nasty about me. And I demand to know what that is or else…"

Cheta, fumbled with her fingers. "N-nothing…"

"And she said that? Indeed you lack home training. She is right, you must be punished."

Cheta, bolted off.

__________________________________
Another chapter after taking some time off. I do hope you find it as touching as the previous chapters.

If you've gotten this far, I know you read it. So thank you. Don't forget to drop your vote and thought.